Page:The library a magazine of bibliography and library literature, Volume 6.djvu/321

 Parish Councils and the Libraries Acts. 309 The next Act to be noticed is the Public Libraries (Scotland) Act, 1894. This Act relates entirely to the adoption of the principal Act in burghs. Sections 4, 5, and 6 of the Consolidat- ing Act of 1887 prescribe that its adoption shall only take place by a majority of the householders voting to be ascertained by means of voting papers. Section 5 enacted that if a majority determined against the adoption, the question was not to be raised for two years. Henceforth in burghs the magistrates and Council are alone authorised to adopt the Act by a resolution to be passed after due notice, and published as prescribed. If the proposition is not adopted, there is now no limit of time within which it may not again be brought forward. A copy of the Act has already appeared in the LIBRARY, and has been cir- culated among the members. Lastly, I must refer to the Local Government, or as it is popularly described, the Parish Councils Act, 1894. This statute has, by what may be called a side-wind, made some important changes in the English law relating to Free Public Libraries and Museums. At the risk of being wearisome, I must refer to this statute in detail, as I have seen no attempt to extract from its complicated provisions the effect which it will exercise in future upon library work. I shall, of course, be understood as referring simply to the relation of the Act to the Public Libraries Act, 1892. Section 7 declares that from the appointed day in every rural parish, the parish meeting shall exclusively have the power of adopting the Public Libraries Act, 1892, including any acts amending the same. The " appointed day " is a convenient but vague expression. In some parishes (i.e., such as are to have no Parish Council), this will be the 8th November next, or such later date in the present year as the Local Government Board fix. In others (i.e., where a Parish Council is to be elected), it will be the second Thursday next after the election of the Parish Council, on which day that body comes into office. I make this statement with hesitation, preferring to refer any interested members to section 84 of the Act, which is supposed to define the expression. I can say no more than that I hope I have interpreted the meaning of the section so far as it relates to the adoptive acts. The parish meeting is to consist of the parochial electors (an entirely new creation), who may be described as the County Council electors (occupiers), Parliamentary electors (owners and